Power loss protection integrated circuit with autonomous capacitor health check

• US 10,020,723 B1
• Filed: 07/01/2016
• Issued: 07/10/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 06/25/2016
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Active-Semi, Inc. (Qorvo, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Active-Semi, Inc. (Qorvo, Inc.)
• Inventors: Carpenter, Jr., John H., Smith, Brett E.
• Primary Examiner(s): Hiltunen, Thomas J
• Application Number:
  US15/201,288
• Time in Patent Office: 739 Days
• Field of Search: None
• CPC Class Codes: G01R 19/2513 Arrangements for monitoring electric power systems, e.g. power lines or loads; Logging
• CPC Class Codes: G01R 27/2605 Measuring capacitance capacitive sensors G01D5/24
• CPC Class Codes: G01R 31/3835 involving only voltage measurements
• CPC Class Codes: G01R 31/392 Determining battery ageing or deterioration, e.g. state of health
• CPC Class Codes: G01R 31/64 Testing of capacitors
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 11/28 using pulse-height modulation; using pulse-width modulation
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 15/02 electric
• CPC Class Codes: G05F 1/66 Regulating electric power
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/30 Means for acting in the event of power-supply failure or interruption, e.g. power-supply fluctuations for resetting only G06F1/24
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/0757 by exceeding a time limit, i.e. time-out, e.g. watchdogs
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/3013 where the computing system is an embedded system, i.e. a combination of hardware and software dedicated to perform a certain function in mobile devices, printers, automotive or aircraft systems testing or monitoring of control systems or parts thereof G05B23/02
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/3062 where the monitored property is the power consumption power management in a computing system G06F1/3203
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2201/81 Threshold
• CPC Class Codes: H01H 85/0241 Structural association of a fuse and another component or apparatus switches with built-in fuses H01H9/10, spark-gap arresters H01H85/44, transformers and inductances H01F27/402, capacitors H01G2/14, lamps H01K1/66, semiconductors H01L23/5256 or H01L23/62
• CPC Class Codes: H02H 3/08 responsive to excess current responsive to abnormal temperature caused by excess current H02H5/04
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 9/061 for DC powered loads
• CPC Class Codes: H02M 1/0009 Devices or circuits for detecting current in a converter
• CPC Class Codes: H02M 1/08 Circuits specially adapted for the generation of control voltages for semiconductor devices incorporated in static converters
• CPC Class Codes: H02M 1/32 Means for protecting converters other than automatic disconnection
• CPC Class Codes: H02M 3/156 with automatic control of output voltage or current, e.g. switching regulators
• CPC Class Codes: H02M 3/158 : including plural semiconductor devices as final control devices for a single load
• CPC Class Codes: H02M 3/1582 : Buck-boost converters H02M3/1584 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H02M 3/1588 : comprising at least one synchronous rectifier element H02M3/1582, H02M3/1584 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H03M 1/122 : Shared using a single converter or a part thereof for multiple channels, e.g. a residue amplifier for multiple stages
• CPC Class Codes: H03M 1/765 : using a single level of switches which are controlled by unary decoded digital signals

Abstract

A power loss protection integrated circuit includes a storage capacitor terminal (STR), an autonomous capacitor health check circuit, and a capacitor fault terminal (CF). The capacitor health check circuit autonomously performs periodic capacitor check operations. In a check operation, current is sinked from the STR terminal for a predetermined time and in a predetermined way. If during this time the voltage on the STR terminal STR drops below a predetermined voltage, then a digital signal CF is asserted onto the CF terminal. Immediately following each capacitor check, a charging voltage is driven onto the STR terminal to recharge the external capacitors coupled to the STR terminal. In one example, the integrated circuit further includes a current switch circuit (eFuse) and a buck/boost controller. The capacitor health check circuit is only enabled during normal mode operation of the integrated circuit, and the check circuit disables boost operation during capacitor checks.

Claims

1. An integrated circuit comprising:

an input voltage terminal (VIN);

an output voltage terminal (VOUT);

a current switch circuit that can receive a current of up to a maximum input current from the first terminal and can conduct that current to the output voltage terminal;

a storage capacitor terminal (STR);

a switch terminal (SW);

a feedback terminal (FB);

a buck/boost controller coupled to the switch terminal SW and to the feedback terminal FB, wherein the buck/boost controller is adapted to operate in a buck mode and in a boost mode, wherein in the buck mode the buck/boost controller drives the switch terminal SW so that the buck/boost controller in combination with an external inductor operates as a buck converter, wherein in the buck mode the buck converter receives a relatively high input supply voltage from the storage capacitor terminal STR, and wherein in the boost mode the buck/boost controller drives the switch terminal SW so that the buck/boost controller in combination with the external inductor operates as a boost converter and outputs a relatively high voltage onto the storage capacitor terminal STR;

a capacitor fault terminal (CF); and

an autonomous capacitor health check circuit adapted to sink a current from the storage capacitor terminal STR for a predetermined time duration, and during the predetermined time duration to detect whether a voltage on the storage capacitor terminal STR drops below a predetermined threshold voltage, and if the voltage on the storage capacitor terminal STR is detected to have dropped below the predetermined threshold voltage then the autonomous capacitor health check circuit asserts a digital logic signal onto the capacitor fault terminal CF, wherein the integrated circuit includes no processor that fetches, decodes and executes any instructions.

2. The integrated circuit of claim 1, wherein the current that the autonomous capacitor health check circuit is adapted to sink from the storage capacitor terminal STR comprises a first predetermined current during a first portion of the predetermined time duration and a second predetermined current during a second portion of the predetermined time duration, and wherein the maximum input current is at least two amperes.

3. The integrated circuit of claim 1, wherein the autonomous capacitor health check circuit comprises:

a register, wherein a value stored in the register determines the predetermined time duration.

4. The integrated circuit of claim 1, wherein the autonomous capacitor health check circuit comprises:

a register, wherein a value stored in the register determines a magnitude of the current that is sinked from the storage capacitor terminal STR.

5. The integrated circuit of claim 2, wherein the autonomous capacitor health check circuit comprises:

a plurality of registers, wherein a first value stored in the plurality of registers determines a magnitude of the first predetermined current, and wherein a second value stored in the plurality of registers determines a magnitude of the second predetermined current.

6. The integrated circuit of claim 1, wherein the autonomous capacitor health check circuit comprises:

a register, wherein a value stored in the register determines the predetermined threshold voltage.

7. The integrated circuit of claim 1, wherein the autonomous capacitor health check circuit periodically performs a capacitor check by sinking a current from the storage capacitor terminal STR and detecting whether a voltage on the storage capacitor terminal STR drops below the predetermined threshold voltage within the time duration, and wherein the autonomous capacitor health check circuit performs the periodic checking without repeated external prompting from any device outside the integrated circuit.

8. The integrated circuit of claim 1, wherein the autonomous capacitor health check circuit comprises:

a current source adapted to sink the current from the storage capacitor terminal STR.

9. The integrated circuit of claim 1, wherein the buck/boost controller is not coupled to the external inductor but rather is adapted to be coupled to the external inductor, wherein the buck/boost controller is not operating as part of any buck converter or as part of any boost converter but rather is adapted to operate as part of a buck converter and as part of a boost converter, and wherein the storage capacitor terminal STR is not coupled to an external storage capacitor but rather is adapted to be coupled to an external storage capacitor.

10. An integrated circuit, comprising:

a first terminal;

a second terminal;

an eFuse circuit that can receive a current from the first terminal and can conduct the current to the second terminal in a non-fault condition, and that is adapted to decouple the first terminal from the second terminal in a fault condition such that in the fault condition there is no current flow between the first and second terminals;

a third terminal;

a fourth terminal for coupling to an external capacitor; and

an autonomous capacitor health check circuit adapted to perform a capacitor health check operation, wherein a capacitor health check operation involves sinking a current from the fourth terminal for a predetermined time duration, and during the predetermined time duration detecting whether a voltage on the fourth terminal drops below a predetermined threshold voltage, and if the voltage on the fourth terminal is detected to have dropped below the predetermined threshold voltage then the autonomous capacitor health check circuit asserts a digital logic signal onto the third terminal, wherein the autonomous capacitor health check circuit periodically performs a capacitor health check operation without repeated prompting from any device outside the integrated circuit, and wherein the integrated circuit includes no processor that fetches, decodes and executes any instructions.

11. The integrated circuit of claim 10, wherein the autonomous capacitor health check circuit comprises a register, and wherein a multi-bit digital value stored in the register determines the predetermined threshold voltage.

12. The integrated circuit of claim 10, wherein the autonomous capacitor health check circuit comprises a register, and wherein a multi-bit digital value stored in the register determines the predetermined time duration.

13. The integrated circuit of claim 10, wherein the autonomous capacitor health check circuit comprises a bit, wherein a setting of the bit causes digital logic signal to be asserted onto the third terminal, and wherein a reading of the bit causes the bit to be reset.

14. The integrated circuit of claim 10, wherein the autonomous capacitor health check circuit comprises a first current source and a second current source, wherein the first current source is coupled to sink a first predetermined current from the fourth terminal during the health check operation, and wherein the second current source is coupled to sink a second predetermined current from the fourth terminal during the health check operation.

15. The integrated circuit of claim 10, further comprising:

a boost controller, wherein the autonomous capacitor health check circuit supplies a digital boost disable signal to the boost controller.

16. The integrated circuit of claim 10, further comprising:

a switching converter control circuit, wherein the autonomous capacitor health check circuit supplies a digital boost disable signal to the switching converter control circuit.

17. The integrated circuit of claim 10, further comprising:

a serial bus interface, wherein a multi-bit digital value stored in a plurality of sequential logic elements determines the predetermined time duration of the capacitor health check operation, and wherein the multi-bit digital value stored in the plurality of sequential logic elements can be changed via the serial bus interface.

18. The integrated circuit of claim 10, further comprising:

a serial bus interface, wherein a multi-bit digital value stored in a plurality of sequential logic elements determines the predetermined threshold voltage of the capacitor health check operation, and wherein the multi-bit digital value stored in the plurality of sequential logic elements can be changed via the serial bus interface.

19. The integrated circuit of claim 10, wherein the current that the eFuse circuit can receive from the first terminal and can conduct to the second terminal in the non-fault condition can be a current of two amperes, wherein the eFuse circuit can conduct the two ampere current with a resistance of less than one ohm between the first and second terminals.

20. An integrated circuit, comprising:

an eFuse circuit;

a boost controller;

a terminal; and

means for performing periodic autonomous capacitor health check operations on a capacitor coupled to the terminal, wherein a capacitor health check operation involves conducting a current from the terminal and detecting a voltage on the terminal, and wherein the integrated circuit includes no processor that fetches, decodes and executes any instructions.

21. The integrated circuit of claim 20, further comprising:

a second terminal; and

a third terminal, wherein the eFuse circuit can receive a current from the second terminal and can conduct the current to the third terminal in a non-fault condition, and wherein the current can be a current of two amperes that is conducted through the eFuse circuit with a resistance of less than one ohm between the second the third terminals.